Chris Christie, Rob Astorino Discuss Campaigning as Fathers

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie met privately with potential New York gubernatorial nominee Rob Astorino, the two men had one thing on their minds: their kids.

AP

Rob Astorino

At a news conference Monday, Mr. Christie, the newly minted chair of the Republican Governors Association, said that his meeting with Mr. Astorino, the Republican Westchester County executive, at the recent RGA gathering in Scottsdale, Ariz. centered on the prospect of running a statewide race with small children.

“We didn’t talk about politics much at all except how it related to the family,” said Mr. Christie. “That was the entirety of the conversation.”

Mr. Christie has four children, the oldest of whom is now in college. Mr. Astorino has three young children, the eldest of whom is 10.

A spokesman for Mr. Astorino didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. His spokesman said last week that “this was a private meeting and it was a private conversation, and that’s all we’ll have to say.”

Mr. Christie said Mr. Astorino didn’t say he was running, nor did he seek the governor’s support. The meeting was between the two men and their wives, Mr. Christie said.

Mr. Christie officially became the RGA’s chair last month, a role that will allow him to travel the country to stump on behalf of candidates and spend millions of dollar in support of their races.

The Republican governor said the organization doesn’t back candidates until the party has a nominee.

“The RGA does not invest in lost causes and it doesn’t pay for landslides,” he said.

Mr. Astorino has been encouraged to run by state party leaders, including state Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox, in part because New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo currently has no declared Republican challenger for the 2014 race.